picture ; a beautiful piece of work, well proportioned and dignified. 

 The principal ta%za is supported by the four great winged dragons from 

 which the fountain and the villa deiive their name, and the upper vase is 

 supported by the Borghese eagle, but on a smaller scale. Surrounding 

 the terrace is a balustrade of stone, and at each end are tall Tuscan 

 columns, two of which act as chimneys to the vaulted kitchens beneath. 

 The balustrade seems to have been made for the peacocks which perch 

 upon it and spread their glorious tails in the sunlight. 



In front of this terrace a wonderful panorama is spread out. Looking 

 over the dark spires of cypress and the deep green of ilex in the avenues 

 below, the eye ranges over the fields of silvery olive and across the ever 

 changing Campagna, with its shifting lights and shadows, to the grey 

 Sabine hills and the distant shimmering sea. 



59 



